A treasure hunt
by sehellys
Summary: When Estel finds an old treasure map while cleaning the library, he and his brothers are going on an adventure! **little Estel fluff**
1. Chapter 1

**A treasure hunt**

Summary: When Estel finds an old treasure map in the library he and his brothers are going on an adventure! **little Estel fluff**

A/N: This is a LotR fanfiction written for (and at the insistence of) fran. It has been written a long long time ago and I hope by publishing it finally I will get the motivation to continue my other Lord of the Rings stories and eventually publish them as well. After all Lord of the Rings is my all-time favourite fandom and it's a pity that I haven't published any of my stories before.

Reviews will of course help with finding said motivation for this and other stories ;)

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters that were instead created by a genius, though I wish I did

_Chapter 1_

Estel looked over his shoulder, back at all the books he had freed from the layer of dust they had collected over the last couple of months; since the last big cleaning to be precise. Turning his head in the other direction he saw that the shelf, packed full with books and tomes, scripts and parchments, still stretched on for many more meters. Disappointed he let his small shoulders sag and sighed audibly - this would take all day.

The sound of silent bickering reached his ears and Estel looked along the rows of books towards his elven brothers. They were sharing a ladder to clean the books in the higher shelves which Estel couldn't reach, Elladan cleaning the topmost books while Elrohir dusted the middle layer of books off.

"Elrohir, if you keep reading the books before dusting them off, we'll never finish", Elladan remarked, eager to move their ladder forward to clean the next meter of books.

"I, my dear brother, am cleaning the books, not merely dividing the dust evenly between shelves and air." Elrohir gave back, pointedly looking at the books Elladan had previously 'cleaned'.

Elladan gave his brother an unconvinced look, "They're clean. Also we have to finish before Estel if we want to go out to the archery fields together, just look how fast he is, he will catch up to us soon."

Elrohir suppressed the urge to roll his eyes at his brother's words. Leave it to the older twin to be that obvious. Still, looking over at his youngest brother he could see that their little 'argument' had achieved what the twins had hoped for, a determined expression had settled on Estel's face and he attacked the layer of dust upon the old books with a new vigor.

Estel knew that he had no more time to idle around, they had to finish cleaning the books together so that they could go out to enjoy the sunny day in the green fields. He decided that he would not be the one to make his brothers wait for him; he would catch up to them in no time. After all even Elladan had said he was working very fast.

The cloth in the small hand went over the tops and backs of books, tediously dusting off the visible edges of the wooden shelf and carefully cleaning scrolls the way Erestor had showed him. And although Estel would have enjoyed playing outside all day, he was still proud to be part of the library cleaning force - the dark haired seneschal had even asked him personally for his assistance.

As the twins neared the end of the shelves they would have to clean today, they slowed down a bit to let Estel catch up. The young edan kept working hard, every once and again looking towards his elder brothers and the distance that was left between them. Just a little faster and he would catch up to them.

When Estel focused again on his books and the possibility of cleaning them even faster without a drop in quality, Elladan carefully placed a piece of parchment atop the shelf. As Estel was almost beside the ladder the twins were still standing on, his oldest brother "accidentally" knocked the paper from its position.

"Elladan, what have you done now?" Elrohir scolded, effectively drawing his younger brother's attention to the fluttering piece of paper gliding to the ground.

Elladan gave an apologetic shrug to his brothers as he looked down from the top of the ladder, "I don't know, it just suddenly appeared – someone must have carefully hidden it amongst the books as a secret."

Elrohir very nearly sighed at the theatrically conspiratorial tone in his brother's voice. Really, Elladan would never make a good actor – or even a decent one. But again it was working, for Estel looked at the paper in wonder, willing it to give up all of its secrets.

"What is it saying, Estel?"

The young boy didn't answer right away, he was still staring at the paper he held in his hands, transfixed by the neat and accurate drawing of the last homely house and its close surroundings that he could make out. A dashed line was leading away from the main entrance and past the stables to a part that was off the map. With disdain Estel noticed the ripped edges around the paper.

"It has to be a treasure map", Estel exclaimed, curiosity and excitement mingling in his voice, "but there's parts missing. I wonder if we could find those parts and find the hidden treasure." He looked up at his brothers, who slid down the ladder to stand next to him, the excitement in his eyes was unmistakable. "We could go on a treasure hunt."

Elladan inspected the paper in his youngest brother's hand more closely. "Estel, I think there is something written on the back as well."

Estel turned the paper around at once, and his eyes found a smaller map on the back of the paper. What was more important though, it was a complete map. "This is from inside the house", he exclaimed, happy at his latest discovery. Estel looked at the rooms depicted on the map critically, trying to figure out just which one was marked with that big cross. He scrunched up his face in thought as he mentally walked the corridor of the first floor, which was depicted in the map, every now and again turning the paper as he went around imagined corners to help with the visualization.

"It's Ada's study room", he declared at last, feeling victorious after extracting this bit of information from the old parchment.

Elrohir nodded in consent. "That must be where the other part of the map is hidden."

Thinking about the possibility of finding the other parts of the map, and with it the keys to a hidden treasure, got Estel excited. Hardly able to keep still anymore, he looked back at the paper and then up at his brothers.

"Ada probably doesn't even know there's a big treasure hidden in Imladris; we have to tell him and go find it together." The young face was positively beaming with excitement.

Elladan looked doubtful, "But Ada is going to be busy all day; he said only to disturb him with matters of the utmost importance."

Thinking on this a bit Estel did not take long to come up with an alternative plan: "We should go find the treasure for Ada then, and we can show it to him in the evening when he's finished working." As the wheels in Estel's head continued to turn he found a flaw in his own great plan: "But how do we get the second piece of the map without a matter of the utom… without something important?"

Elrohir and Elladan exchanged knowing glances, then looked down on their younger brother with smug expressions. "Don't worry, we will come up with something important to talk to father about. Something that will keep him distracted enough for you to sneak in and get the map."

Blanching slightly at the idea of sneaking into his father's office, Estel looked back up at his brothers. For a moment uncertainty showed in his eyes, before the excitement from the proposed treasure hunt overcame him again. They were going on an adventure, of course he had to be willing to risk something. And when he brought home a huge treasure surely Ada wouldn't even mind that he had snuck into his office unasked.

With a look of determination Estel nodded his head once, he was ready for the treasure hunt to begin and for his own exciting mission to obtain the next part of the map.

_TBC_

_Please leave a review and tell me what you think (pretty please?)_


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter 2_

Elrohir knocked on the door to his father's study. There was the sound of shuffling paper on the other side of the door, audible only for elven ears through the thick oaken door.

"Enter", exhaustion laced the tone of the lord of the last homely house as he bade his sons to enter. Upon seeing his sons in the door way, staying suspiciously close to each other, as if shielding something else from view, a small smile appeared on his face. "Ah, is it time?"

Elladan made a determined step forward, while being careful to block his father's view of his youngest brother. "Yes father, it is time to talk about..", he faltered for a second unsure of what important matter to talk about.

As Estel made his way on all fours towards his father's desk, Elrohir stepped forward as well. "..the honey shortage."

Elrohir realized he made a mistake in the choice of topic when Estel stopped crawling and instead decided to listen on. But now he had no other choice but to press on. "If this situation continues any longer Cook says she will be unable to bake any honey cakes for the midsummer feast."

The shocked gasp of a small edan was clearly audible in the silence, even though Estel had tried his best to stifle his sound of terror.

Elrond smoothly ignored the small noise. "Tell Cook I have spoken to the bee keepers and they have assured me that our stocks will last until the next honey collection." There was a small relieved sounding sigh and the shuffle of hands and knees trying to reach the safety beneath an old heavy desk.

"I do not know, Ada, recently we have had more need for honey cakes than ever before. It seems whenever Cook bakes some they are sure to disappear with what she describes as a flourish of blond hair and a child's giggles." Elrohir started to rather enjoy the topic he had come up with now and especially the reactions of his smaller brother. Estel was desperately trying not to give himself away, neither his hiding place under the desk, nor his involvement in the honey cake mystery being discussed.

Estel tried not to listen to his brother's words and to instead focus on the possible whereabouts of the other part of the treasure map. He was fairly sure to find it under the desk, after all in his own room things ended up on the floor all the time and usually managed to hide under the desk, bed or shelves.

As Estel carefully turned around, trying not to make any sound, he bumped into a basket, woven from reed strands. He almost gave a shout of surprise, this basket had not been here the last time he was hiding under the table, he was sure of that. But before he could investigate the mystery of the new basket any closer he saw the yellowed edges of old parchment just beside his left leg. He turned around hastily, not minding that he again bumped into something and grasped the piece of paper in his small hand. Now he just had to give a sign to his brothers to cover his escape.

Elrond had just explained to his elven sons how something had to be done regarding the disappearance of the honey cakes and was considering to mention some ideas for punishments for the cake thieves when something small bumped into him under the desk. He had to shake his head in amusement, Estel was obviously so eager to find his secret treasure that he forgot everything around him.

Elladan noticed the small head showing up under the big table and took a step closer to the desk to hide his brother's escape route. "Yes, Ada. We cannot let the honey cake thieves go unpunished. I do think that they should receive a heavy punishment of tickles when we catch them." The young boy froze behind Elladan's legs, trying not to think about the horrors of a tickle sentence. He and Glorfindel would have to be more careful next time they went on one of their missions. Estel made a note to tell this to his golden haired partner in crime and hurried to get behind Elrohir's knees without being seen. From there he made it safely to the door and was out if the room in a silent hustle of clothes.

The elves inside the study chamber tried to suppress their laughter at the young boy's antics and the audible sigh of relief drifting in from the doorway. Elrond looked over at the pile of paper still strewn on his desk and looked up at his sons. "I shall meet you in an hour at the archery fields then. It is time I found a good excuse to leave this paperwork."

The twins left their father's study to find Estel crouched on the floor. He had put his new piece of the treasure map beside the old one and was disappointed to find it still wasn't complete. He had the second part of the last homely house now, with a very accurate drawing of his own chambers and the kitchen rooms. He noticed someone had even drawn honey cakes into cook's baking room, but it still gave him no further clue as to where the treasure was. The dotted line led from his room, through the gardens to the edges of the ragged piece of paper.

"You found it Estel!", Elladan exclaimed, patting the head of his young brother.

"And it fits perfectly, though it seems to be incomplete still." Elrohir added. "Maybe you should turn this part around as well."

Estel nodded and turned the new piece of the map around as well. It showed another small yet accurate and complete map, this time from the surroundings of the last homely house. The small boy recognized immediately what the map was showing: the stables! Excitedly he jumped up and started to dash towards the front door. His elven brothers had no other choice but to follow him out the door and over the fields. The hunt for the next piece of parchment was on.

TBC

A/N: Because the question came up I will put the answer here for everyone. I imagine Estel to be about 6 or 7 years old in this story. You know the age when they are all bright smiles and inquisitive minds, and hungry for adventures

Anyway, I hope you liked it. I would love to know what you thought – a small review will take you nly seconds but will brighten up my day.

Thank you for reading.


	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter 3_

Elladan and Elrohir caught up to Estel easily and made him walk more slowly over the uneven grounds outside. The young boy was dissatisfied with this as he would have liked to run all the way to the stables, find the parchment and go to search for the treasure. But his brothers had an hour until their meeting with their father and wanted Estel to take his time, so he grudgingly agreed.

He wondered what the meeting was about and was secretly scared that they would come up with plans to find the honey cake thieves and stop them once and for all. It was a very disquieting thought. While he walked over the fields, he held the newest part of parchment in his hand, carefully studying what it said. Estel was sure he was walking the right way and that the stables would be their destination this time. But he could not find any clues as to where in the big wooden structure he should look for the small piece of treasure map.

He turned the map upside down and around but nothing was forthcoming. So he shoved the map pieces back into his pocket when they neared the stables. A soft breeze brought the unmistakable smell of horses and Estel walked faster again, unable to remain calm now that he was so close to his goal.

He practically stormed past the open doors and into the pleasantly shadowed stable. His eyes took a moment to adjust to the sudden absence of sunlight and it took him a while to realize that he wasn't alone. A tall figure stood further down the corridor, golden hair cascading over his shoulders as he leaned forward to stroke the mane of a big white stallion.

"Glorfy!" Estel was excited to see his friend and partner in crime in the stables. He would tell him all about the treasure map he had found and together they could go and retrieve the treasure the same way they … acquired… those honey cakes. Oh, yes the honey cakes, Estel had to warn Glorfindel about the punishments his Ada and brothers were thinking about. But of course the he had to get rid of his brothers first, they couldn't know who were the actual honey cake … testers. With his mind made up Estel spun around and ran back to his brothers. Elladan was just about to greet Glorfindel when Estel, with a determined expression on his face, grabbed his arm and dragged him and Elrohir from the stable.

"What's wrong gwador dithen?" Elladan asked when Estel finally let go of his arm.

Thoughts were running around in Estel's head as he furiously tried to think of a reason why his brothers shouldn't go inside the stable. "I think Glorfy found the other piece of the map."

"Isn't that a good thing? We should ask him to join us in our search for the treasure" Elrohir sounded mildly confused. "Glorfindel could help carry the heavy treasure back to Imladris to show to Ada."

Estel didn't know what to say to that reasoning, it sounded like a great plan. Only it wasn't at all what he wanted. Then he had another idea. "Yes, but I think I should talk to him and ask him to help us." He said, enthusiastically waving his arms in the air in an attempt to give his proposal extra weight.

Elladan was beginning to understand where Estel was going with this and decided to help his littlest brother. "Good idea, if you give him your pleading look he will have no other choice but to help you."

Estel nodded quickly and without waiting for any further words he turned around and went back inside the stable. After he had gone Elrohir turned to his twin, "Do you have any idea what that was about?"

"Not a clue, but I have a feeling this might be interesting." Elladan smirked at his younger brother and together they made their way over to the big stable door, curious to find out what was going on inside.

Glorfindel had been confused when Estel had greeted him ecstatically only to turn around on the spot and flee from the stable, dragging the mildly protesting sons of Elrond with him. But Estel had reappeared only a moment later and ran over to the balrog slayer for his customary hug.

After the initial excitement to see the blond elf after a day of dusting off old books in the library, Estel remembered why he had come. A serious expression settled on his young face as he said gravely: "Glorfy, we have a problem. Ada says they are on to us… I mean, they're on to the honey cake thieves." A look of horror crossed his face as he continued "and if they find us, they will give us the tickle punishment!"

Glorfindel tried not to laugh and to instead mimic the same horrified expression shown on the young adan's face, upon hearing of the gruesome penalty. According to the peals of laughter that reached his sensitive elven ears, he figured the sons of Elrond had not had too much success in remaining serious.

"Ai Estel, if only we would have a way to make up for the honey cakes that we… that have disappeared while we were on our training missions."

"That's it, Glorfy!", the excited Estel exclaimed. "Look I found this", Estel dragged the bended pieces of parchment from his pockets to show to the balrog slayer, "it's a treasure map! I bet if we find the treasure and give it to Ada he won't think about the honey cakes at all anymore." The young human was beaming with joy at this thought.

"Have you seen one of these parts of the map? It should be here in the stables somewhere…" His voice trailed off as the focus of his attention shifted from Glorfindel to his surroundings on his quest to find the small paper. He looked along the rows of boxes for the horses and over to the other side where the hay was stacked and the long grim looking pitch forks were stored. He moved past a red and white checkered blanket and finally found what he was looking for stuck between some wall panels, just over where he stored his saddle and other riding supplies.

"It is here Glorfy! Let's go find the treasure" And with that he ran out the door and to his brothers, trusting Glorfindel to follow him. He spread the pieces of his treasure map on the ground and arranged them on the soft grass to finally form a complete map.

With disdain he noticed that there was still one piece missing.

Already accustomed to the map pieces by now he turned the new piece over and looked at the small map depicted there critically. Estel was sure he recognized the kitchen, its layout being very familiar to him from his 'training missions'. In that case the big room next to it had to be "The Hall of Fire!"

Again the boy was on his feet and running towards the house in an instant. He was so close to the treasure now, he could feel he was going to find the last piece of the map soon. The thought of finding a magical treasure and showing it to his Ada spurred him on even more, not only because he wanted to distract his father from the curious case of the disappearing honey cakes.

A/N: A big thank you to everyone who has reviewed this story so far. Your notes and comments really brighten up my days and make me write and post this a lot faster. Please tell me what you thought about this newest chapter. After this there will be only one left to go.


	4. Chapter 4

**_Chapter 4_**

Estel was beginning to get annoyed with the three elves that followed him at a leisurely pace. It almost seemed as though they did not want to find the treasure at all. He had slowed his run across the gardens surrounding the last homely house and was waiting now for Elladan, Elrohir and Glorfindel to catch up to him.

As the others drew nearer, Estel placed a carefully annoyed expression on his young face, similar to the ones he had seen Erestor give Glorfindel. The look, which the young boy gave them almost send the three elves into a heap of hapless laughter. They tried to look apologetically at the boy and Elrohir leaned in conspicuously.

"Sorry Estel, but you know, with great age comes lower speed." He inclined his head to indicate Glorfindel, clearly the eldest elf present. Glorfindel's head whipped around sharply at the comment but he refrained from saying anything in return as he saw the barely concealed glee in the young edan's eyes, as he desperately tried to hide his giggles behind a small hand.

He decided to change tactics instead, if they wanted to make Estel take his time on this quest for a mystical treasure - so that the boy wouldn't exhaust himself - they would have to make him walk slowly willingly.

"Estel it seems we are approaching a more treacherous area. If we don't want every elf in Rivendell to know what we are doping, we should try to remain unseen and bypass the entrance hall."

As if to demonstrate his idea, he pressed his back to a nearby tree, and quickly hid from view of the main entrance to the last homely house. Estel's eyes gleamed with excitement at the proposal of another "secret mission", and quickly rushed over to hide next to the golden haired elf.

"Maybe we should take the path through the kitchen, Glorfy." Estel proposed. He knew that path very well and was confident they would remain unseen there, as they had so many times before.

"Excellent idea, young warrior! Lead the way!"

Elladan and Elrohir were left behind, shaking their head at the antics of the young boy and the immature elf lord as they slowly crept towards the kitchen entrance. Eventually Estel turned around and beckoned for the twins to follow as well. The determination that shone on his face amused his older brothers and they decided to join in on the fun, it had been too long since they had last sneaked into the kitchen this way - why, it must have been a fortnight already.

By now the four elves were approaching the kitchen entrance, keeping their backs pressed firmly to the wall of the last homely house and carefully inching sideways towards their destination. Glorfindel had given Estel the lead and the boy did his best to check and double check that the path was clear, not wanting to disappoint his brothers and mentor by giving them away.

Estel had reached the kitchen door now and strained his ears to listen for any sounds of the common hustle and bustle within. But nothing could be heard and he dared to sneak a quick look inside to make sure the kitchens were deserted. The small curly-haired head slowly peaked around the door way to find the kitchen was, indeed, bereft of life. He signaled his friends to follow him and darted inside the cool, shadowed rooms.

Estel noticed with a bit of disappointment the lack of honey cakes cooling on the kitchen table, but was quick to remind himself why they were here. He had to find the last piece of the map so that he and his brothers could go and find the treasure to show to their Ada. That way his Ada wouldn't think too much about the mysterious cake thieves or his dreadful tickle sentence that he seemed intent on handing out. The young frame shuddered slightly at the thought of this most wicked punishment.

He had to find the map, and quick! Speedily he ran across the kitchen and towards the exit that he knew led to a small corridor that would lead them straight to the Hall of Fire. His three companions followed him quickly but Estel was halfway through the corridor by the time they reached him, caught in his newfound haste to get his small fingers on the last piece of the map.

Glorfindel held him back just in time before the young boy could storm into the spacious hall beyond the end of the corridor. He lifted a finger to his lips to motion for silence when Estel gave him a questioning glance. Clearly the boy did not appreciate being held back again, so palpably close to his goals. But then he heard it, the unmistakable swishing of robes and sound of silent movement from the Hall of Fire. He pricked his ears to hear more, but with his human hearing he could not make out any details.

"It is but one person." Glorfindel whispered to the smallest Elrondion, answering the silent question in the boy's eyes. "And if I am not mistaken", he continued "it should be easy to take care of him. Hide here in the corridor with your brothers and I shall go and clear the way for you."

Estel nodded, his face set in determination. He did not dare think of how Glorfindel would get the other elf to leave the Hall of Fire, but assumed the balrog slayer would find a way. In his young mind he didn't question the need to keep the treasure map a secret from anyone else in Rivendell, too much was he caught up in this secret mission.

Glorfindel turned around and theatrically bade farewell to Elladan and Elrohir, nodding somberly at the twin sons of Elrond. "Here we part ways, find the treasure and protect Estel", he said. The twin rolling of eyes that followed his words was hidden by the deep shadows in the hallway, which was probably for the best. With determined strides the blond seneschal left the corridor and stepped into the big hall that was the heart of Rivendell.

His mouth stood open in awe as Estel watched Glorfindel leave to face, what was in his mind, a mighty opponent that would need cunning and trickery to be pried from the hall. He moved over to the other side of the wall to be able to get at least a glimpse of what was going on in the room beyond and was astounded at what he saw. He had expected a clever adversary for Glorfindel, but was surprised to see it was the most clever elf in all of Imladris, well apart from his ada of course, that stood between him and his chance to acquire the last piece of the treasure map unseen.

It was Erestor.

From his position at the entrance to the big hall, Estel could not hear what Glorfindel and Erestor were speaking about, but he fervently hoped that Erestor wouldn't uncover their secret scheme. Too often had Erestor see through one of Glorfindel's brilliant plans in an instant, and Estel feared it may happen again.

And indeed, Erestor seemed to be looking over towards the corridor, clearly wondering why Glorfindel would come from the kitchen. But the blonde would not be deterred and apparently wrapped the black haired counselor in a deep, distracting conversation. Gently leading him by the shoulders, Glorfindel successfully moved Erestor towards the big double doors that led out of the big hall.

Estel breathed a sigh of utter relief, for a moment he had seen all his plans crumble, his and Glorfindel's involvement with the honey cakes unmasked and their quest for the treasure foiled.

He rushed as silently as he could manage inside the room, past a collection of big glass bottles filled with a dark red liquid and a plate filled with fresh fruit. But he had no eyes for the treats in the Hall of Fire, intent only on finding the small piece of paper he knew was hiding here.

"Estel", Elrohir hushed his name, drawing the attention of the small boy and his twin to himself. He triumphantly waved the piece of the treasure map he had found in the air. Estel came running towards him and took the paper offered to him. He noticed that one side of it was blank and knew instantly this was because it was the last piece of the map, as he had thought. He fished the other papers from his pocket and spread them carefully on the ground of the Hall of Fire to finally learn where their treasure was hidden.

He looked up at his brothers, excitement written in bold letters all over his face. "It is complete!"

"Then let us go and find that treasure", Elladan answered and let Estel lead him and his twin from the great hall. They took the exit through the kitchen and went on their way to follow the dotted line on the old paper, leading them towards their destination.

In front of the big double doors leading to the Hall of Fire, Erestor was huffing at the antics of Glorfindel. The golden haired elf had his ear pressed to the door in a perfect example of un-lord like behavior but gave no heed to his friends' objections.

"They have left." The balrog slayer proclaimed at last, "We had better go and fetch Lord Elrond."

**A/N: Ah, Erestor, the brilliant mastermind, I have been waiting to finally write him into this story ;)**

**Anyway, that's it, only one tiny chapter to go and this story will be over. Please (please please) take a few moments to tell me how you liked the story so far. Without feedback it's incredibly hard to find the motivation to continue writing.**

And a warm thank you to Dreamer4life16 who reviewed the lasy chapter, your review gave me the mojo to finally beta-read this and get it published.


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